Abstract:
Just like some dogs have been able to detect cancer simply by smelling urine samples, the electronic nose under development at Tyndall National Institute in Cork offers the potential to identify aggressive cancers, such as those of the prostate and bladder, at an early stage.

"It is a three-year project but I estimate that within five years, some kind of portable device would be available. We have attached nano-sized receptors that can recognise smells to a nanotransducer, and the main work will be modifying the receptors and the electronic signals to get to a standard that can be used for clinical diagnosis," said project coordinator at Tyndall Dr Vladimir Ogurtsov.